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United States Forest White River Sopris Ranger District , Department of Service National P.O. Box 309 — Agriculture Forest Carbondale, CO 81623 (970)963 -2266 Peter Martin 0102 Firehouse Road Redstone, CO 81623 Reply: 2350 Date: August 5, 1997 Dear Peter: This is in reply to your letter of July 15th regarding the roads in Coal Basin. We recognize that Coal Basin offers outstanding recreational opportunities, and are looking forward to the completion of reclamation activities. The roads in Coal Basin were built and maintained by Mid - Continent Resources for the single purpose of coal mining, and authorized by the Forest Service via special use permit. Over the last several years, both while the mine operated and after it closed, the Forest Service, Colorado Division of Wildlife, Colorado Mined Land Reclamation Division, and members of the public observed that Coal Creek and its tributaries carried a large sediment load, especially after storm events. The conclusion of the experts who evaluated the situation was that a significant part of the erosion was coming from the road system. They also determined that due to the nature of the soils and topography, keeping these roads in drivable condition would be an expensive undertaking requiring continual maintenance. Removing the culverts was specifically addressed since these structures require regular maintenance and could lead to serious erosion and flooding problems if washed out in an uncontrolled event. As part of the national effort to reduce the Federal deficit and government spending, the Forest Service has of necessity sought ways to reduce spending and maintenance obligations instead of expanding them. For these reasons, :maintaining these single- purpose coal roads for public vehicular access was never addressed as a possibility. Our current Forest Plan emphasizes recreation, grazing, and wildlife within the lands of Coal Basin. It is certainly not our intent to restrict the public from using Coal Basin. In fact, my staff has spent quite a bit of time over the last several years looking for opportunities to develop a high quality trail system based on the old coal roads, following completion of mine reclamation. Among the types of uses that appear to be feasible are hiking, bicycling, horse use, motorcycling, ATV use, cross - country skiing, snowmobiling, and possibly jeep use on some road segments. Not all of the uses may be desired or approved, but I want to illustrate what we envision as the possible gamut. It will be a challenge to select and manage for a variety of uses which will be compatible with recreationists' desires and resource protection.